Photographer of Families, Small People and Delightful Places.
Travel and Lifestyle Writer and Blogger.
Lives in Newcastle, Loves the North, Often Accompanied By A Beagle Named Holly Bobbins

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Why I'm shooting weddings again....

"What, you never stopped did you?" Said someone to me the other day, well no, I hadn't but I was winding down and retiring from weddings and thinking that all in life was sorted out and I knew what I was doing and where I was going.

Here's the thing, I'm sure that all artists suffer from elements of self doubt but I really went through a period of losing complete confidence in my ability and therefore I fell out of love with what I did. Those of you who know me personally will know just how important I think weddings are and I've always felt that If you can't go to a wedding and give 150% of yourself then you shouldn't do it, a lot of things have happened over the last year which have made me readdress the way I feel about many things in life and as I shot my first 2 weddings of this year suddenly I realised that if I give this up, I lose the chance to record one of the most important days of peoples lives to be preserved in history forever. History remembers weddings, it may not remember the tiny details of the settings or the wedding favours but it will remember the bride and groom, the people who celebrated with them, friends and family all gathered together on one very special day. At weddings I often see photographs of parents weddings and grandparents and sometimes great grandparents and those photos make me smile. I guess it's proof that love and hope are timeless, something we all hold onto and believe because we know that when you meet that other half of your whole you will be complete (sorry Plato for paraphrasing your story).

I am a silly, head in the clouds romantic who truly believes that for every heart which roams the earth there's an opposite heart just waiting to meet them, i still truly believe that the most special moment of the whole wedding is when the groom waiting pensively at the top of the aisle turns to see his beautiful bride for the very first time. That's the moment when time stops and everyone else in the room fades into grey, your eyes connect and there's a look which says "you are mine and I am about to be yours forever"

I'm always honest about my whole life, about who I am, where I've come from and where I am heading and the truth of the matter is that if I stop shooting weddings I give up a whole part of my working life which I would miss. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll have nightmares and crazy dreams before every wedding, I've consoled myself that the nerves I get the day before are simply because I care and I know the task I'm undertaking but from the moment I arrive and pick up my camera I am overwhelmingly the calmest person in the room. I often have tears during the ceremony as I can't help but take in the beauty and promise of the ceremony and nothing makes me get more emotional than when big tough men break down because they're so full of love and emotion upon that special day.

And so here I stand today relaunching a wedding photography career, nervous because it takes time to build a business but then I remember I have almost 10 years experience and I've shot hundreds of weddings, I've had brides burst into tears when I've arrived, I've given rescue remedy pastilles to small flower girls and I've helped bridesmaids channel their inner Disney Princesses. I've been left breathless seeing women transformed into the most amazing brides and I've been overwhelmed by the beauty of a couples love.

If you're looking for a wedding photographer for your wedding in 2015/2016/2017 whether it's for just 1 hour or you need a whole day from the getting ready right through to the first dance please get in touch via my website, Facebook or email

At the moment I am offering a complimentary pre-wedding shoot with images on disk worth £335 with every booking of 3 hours or more and I'm also offering a free family portrait session for anyone referring a couple who go onto book me for their wedding. Primarily I am available for wedding photography in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Northumberland but given the right wedding I will travel anywhere in the UK (travel expenses may be applicable on some packages).